A Ballerina and Choreographer Team Up to Be Goddesses

Yes, they’re both women and they’re both in the dance world. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Maria Alexandrova, from Russia, has spent 20 years reigning over the classical repertory at the Bolshoi Ballet. Blanca Li, from Spain, armed with hard-core training in flamenco, modern dance and gymnastics — she was a member of Spain’s national rhythmic gymnastics team — stretches beyond the dance world. A choreographer as well as a dancer, she has worked with the film director Pedro Almodóvar; fashion designers including Azzedine Alaïa and Stella McCartney; and, in the land of music, Beyoncé and Daft Punk.

But while they are in some respects an unlikely pair, the artistic union between Ms. Alexandrova and Ms. Li celebrates what they have in common: female power.

“This is the first woman choreographer in my life,” Ms. Alexandrova, 38, said bluntly after a recent rehearsal for their two-woman dance show, “Goddesses & Demonesses.”

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The choreographer and dancer Blanca Li, whose new work, “Goddesses & Demonesses,” starts out in black and white and gradually saturates the stage with color.CreditAmanda Jasnowski Pascual for The New York Times

“Can you believe it?” asked Ms. Li, 53. “Imagine: 20 years in a house of dance with never a woman choreographer. This is so crazy.”

In “Goddesses & Demonesses,” which opens on Thursday at City Center, Ms. Li creates a mythological landscape that pays homage to womankind. The extravagant production starts out in black and white and gradually saturates the stage with color. And the dresses dance, too.

Costume Drama

In quick flashes, there are references to the work of female choreographers like Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, but this is Ms. Li’s brand of spectacle. Wearing costumes by some of her friends — along with Mr. Alaïa and Ms. McCartney, there is an impressive array of haute couture by Jean-Paul Gaultier and Sophie Theallet — the dancers undergo transformations, both physical and emotional.

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Maria Alexandrova, left, and Ms. Li rehearsing “Goddesses and Demonesses,” coming to City Center.CreditAmanda Jasnowski Pascual for The New York Times

“I like to play very much with opposites in the show,” Ms. Li said. “If we are in black, we may feel white; and if we are in white, we may feel black. I don’t really tell a story — it’s more about feelings.”

The costumes are an important element. “In this show, the whole aspect of how we project emotion has a lot to do with how we are dressed,” said Ms. Li, who in a solo wears a bountiful red dress by Mr. Alaïa. “It’s very heavy,” she continued. “From the first moment I started the choreography, I had the dress with me. With this dress, I can transform myself inside into multiple personalities. I constantly transform and the dress transforms with me.”

The pair wear wigs, which start out styled in chignons. By the final number, when they portray warrior figures in Grecian-style dresses by Ms. Theallet, their locks stream below their waists. “If you want to believe you are a goddess,” Ms. Li said, “first you have to feel like a goddess and people have to see you as a goddess.”

The Power of Two

When she started working on “Goddesses,” Ms. Li said she knew she wanted to collaborate with a ballet dancer. She asked Brigitte Lefèvre, the former director of dance at the Paris Opera Ballet, to recommend someone; Ms. Lefèvre put her in touch with Ms. Alexandrova.

After three days working together in Moscow, Ms. Li and Ms. Alexandrova, who speaks little English, sensed a connection. “We couldn’t understand each other at all,” Ms. Li said. “But it’s very strange with her: We almost don’t need to talk. It’s like we speak without speaking.”

Even now, their communication unfolds mainly through gesture. When you find Ms. Alexandrova glued to her smartphone, she’s not sending texts, but translating words. It’s not ideal, but for the purposes of a dance show, it works: They’ve found a way to breathe together when they move.

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Ms. Li performing in Stella McCartney.CreditLaurent Philippe

“The problem with these kinds of shows is competition,” Ms. Li said. “Two women dancing together — an étoile of the Bolshoi who is always alone on the stage — ”

“Like a queen,” Ms. Alexandrova interrupted, cracking herself up.

Ms. Li said, “You are a queen! And I am the director of my company — I am always the center of my little world.” She added: “This is not about competition. We want to get the best from each other and give the best to each other. And this is what I felt with her.”

But maintaining that connection takes work. “Many, many hours,” Ms. Alexandrova said. “It’s so much information. We are always changing personalities in the show — like a woman. You smile and then you cry.”

They share the stage for 90 minutes. “At the beginning, it was very difficult,” Ms. Li said. “Every time we finished a show, we felt bad. We were not so good. There are many things you have to do in a show until you get it in your skin.”

After about 20 performances, they found their groove. “We started leaving the stage smiling,” Ms. Li continued. “Now we feel much more sure, much more strong. We are free to be ourselves, and we are more ourselves.”